Robert E. Gonzalez, executive chef of the restaurant at the
southwest corner of Chandler Boulevard and Desert Foothills
Parkway, said sales had dropped by up to 40 percent, even though he
attempted to adjust his prices.

"People just couldn't afford to spend enough," he said.

Babaloo's had been open since May 2008. Ahwatukee's other Cuban
restaurant, Havana Café, northwest of Chandler Boulevard and 44th
Street, closed earlier this year.

Gonzalez's mother, Mayra, said Ahwatukee is home to a handful of
Cuban families that used to come in for a taste of home.

"After we opened up the restaurant, we noticed quite a few Cubans,"
she said.

The family does not have any immediate plans to attempt another
restaurant, she said.